Where the Trains Always Run on Subjective Time

Followings

I’m reading more than writing this year, which is what usually happens when my creative batteries are recharging. A recent trip to the library has me plowing through Greg Bear’s dimension-twisting hard sci-fi epic Eon, with Connie Willis’ time-travel novel Doomsday Book on-deck. Eon is feeling a bit dated—it published in 1985, and Bear chose to specifically set his story in 2005, so it must now be read as alternative history rather than near-future speculation. Full review coming soon.

I’ve also found some interesting things worth following on the internets. Here are a few of them:

Twitter:

There’s a lot going on in space these days, and the various space exploration agencies and their project teams are chatting up a storm on Twitter. @NASA and @esaoperations provide overview information and updates on live briefings and events from NASA and the European Space Agency, and they retweet specific project updates of interest. @MarsCuriosity tracks the progress of the rover missions and tweets the latest photos from Mars. @NASAKepler follows developments in the ongoing Planetary Survey. I’ve also begun following @NASA_Dawn as it enters the last leg of its approach to asteroid Ceres, and @NASANewHorizons as it prepares to orbit Pluto. Don’t forget @ESA_Rosetta and the currently-snoozing @Philae2014 comet lander. @CassiniSaturn and @HUBBLE_space provide breathtaking photography, as do the various astronauts rotating through the International Space Station. Check out @AstroTerry, @AntonAstrey, and @AstroSamantha, who are up there right now.

Mara Wilson Writes Stuff: I began following this one a few days ago. Mara Wilson, best known for her work as a child actor in the movies Mrs. Doubtfire and Matilda, has always had a passion for telling stories, and she’s pretty good at it. Her first book is nearing publication, but her blog is a good read all by itself. http://marawilsonwritesstuff.com/

Medieval Otaku, “a medievalist’s perspective on anime and religion,” posts reviews of japanese animation and comments on other cultural artifacts and issues, highlighting connections of history and faith from a Christian point of view. Thoughtful and well-researched. http://medievalotaku.wordpress.com/

Table Titans: This Dungeons and Dragons-themed webcomic by Scott Kurtz intersperses the ongoing tabletop adventure of a quirky, likable group of gaming pals with readers’ “there I was…” tales of their own most memorable dungeoning moments. Fun stuff. http://www.tabletitans.com/